Schools step up security as year begins

Redwood City Daily News
By Neil Gonzales / MediaNews
August 23, 2007

Incoming Carlmont High School freshman Ashley Scholes wore her ID badge around her neck without complaint - and even with a hint of pride.

"I'm cool with it," the 14-year-old said Wednesday during freshman orientation. "It's a good way to show we belong to Carlmont."

All students must now wear their IDs as classes resume today at the Belmont campus.

The new requirement at Carlmont High is just part of a larger campaign to boost safety and security there.

Given today's increased concern about the potential for campus violence and other problems, schools across the Peninsula continue to undertake similar efforts.

Carlmont High Principal Andrea Jenoff said her school is taking an even more proactive approach to campus safety than others.

Besides the student badges, she said, Carlmont plans to conduct safety drills once a month - far exceeding the state requirement of two per year. The exercises would cover crises ranging from a dangerous intruder to a natural disaster.

Earlier in the week, Jenoff added, staff and faculty participated in an intense emergency-preparedness workshop by Code Red Training Associates Inc., a campus- safety consulting firm based in San Jose. They went through school lockdown procedures, evacuation plans and other issues.

"I want everybody to be prepared so it's second nature" on what to do if an emergency strikes the school or surrounding community, Jenoff said.

Despite the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech University in April, at Columbine High in 1999 and other campus violence over the years, Code Red Training president Carla Holtzclaw maintains that overall, schools remain safe.

"They are probably the safest places for our kids to be," Holtzclaw said. "They have historically been safe and continue to be."

But, she said, schools these days are taking a conscientious approach to enhancing campus security.

Schools such as Carlmont High and those in the Jefferson Elementary district in Daly City are taking additional steps by preparing for the possibility of both human and environmental troubles as well as partnering with public safety agencies, she said.

Holtzclaw acknowledged that no amount of preparation will prevent someone who is determined enough from attacking a school.

"Nothing is fail safe," she said. "But we found out that at the schools that have this training, incidents went down because we think students know procedures are in place."

Holtzclaw's company has provided training to schools on the Peninsula, South Bay and elsewhere. It was formed after the Columbine tragedy.

Jefferson High in Daly City also is increasing its security on a sprawling, full campus.

District leaders there plan to hire a third campus supervisor to monitor students and potential problems during lunchtime and after school. State and federal grants will fund the hire, costing $39,000 annually in salary and benefits.

"Jefferson High has multiple buildings that are all over the place, so it's a difficult campus to supervise," said Mike Crilly, superintendent of the Jefferson Union High School District. "It just makes sense to have three supervisors."

But the campus monitoring is just one element in an ongoing safety campaign districtwide, Crilly said.

That effort also includes crisis counselors who work with youngsters on personal issues and students trained in conflict resolution and other related skills to advise their peers. "The intent is to create an environment where people want to support a safe and healthy campus ... and solve problems before they escalate," Crilly said. Back at Carlmont High, parent Lisa Frerichs supports having students wear ID badges. "It gives me an extra level of satisfaction just to know that the staff and faculty can see who is supposed to be on campus and who is not," Frerichs said. Her 14-year-old son Colin agrees. "You can see who goes to Carlmont," he said, "and you know who not to talk to."